Chapter 633 Prepare for the afterlife!
"My son and daughter-in-law passed away early, leaving behind a frail and sickly grandson."
As Grandma Sun spoke, tears began to fall again, and she quickly wiped them away with her rough sleeves.
"My old bones are useless, and my eyes are blurry. I can't weave much cloth in a day. If it weren't for getting medicine for my grandson, I wouldn't be here today..."
She didn't say anything else, but Chu Ruohan understood everything.
If he wasn't desperate, how could an old man who makes a living by his cooking skills suffer such humiliation?
Chu Ruohan gently spread out the cloud-patterned brocade she had bought from Jinxiu Pavilion on the table.
The moon-white brocade shone with a watery luster under the soft light of the teahouse, and the clouds woven with hidden patterns seemed to be floating slowly on the cloth.
"Grandma," Chu Ruohan looked at Grandma Sun with a serious and sincere look in her eyes, "It would be such a pity if your craft were to be lost."
Granny Sun gave a bitter laugh. "What can I do? I'm too old to teach anymore, and no one wants to learn this. It's a waste of time and effort, and I don't make any money."
"I would like to invite you to the capital." Chu Ruohan said clearly, word by word.
Granny Sun was stunned, thinking she had misheard: "Go... go to the capital?"
"Yes." Chu Ruohan nodded.
She looked at Gu Junze, who gave her a supportive look, and she became more determined in her decision.
"I don't want you to weave clothes for me and live a life of hard work."
"I will find a quiet courtyard for you, settle you and your grandson, and hire the best doctor to treat the child."
"I'll find some talented and hardworking young ladies. You don't have to do anything. Just teach them the art of 'hidden patterning' so that it can be passed down."
"I will cover all your and your grandson's expenses. You will no longer be a weaver struggling to make a living, but a respected master."
The teahouse was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of the boatman's horn coming from outside the window.
Granny Sun stared at Chu Ruohan blankly, her lips trembling slightly, unable to utter a word.
She had lived for most of her life and had never imagined that the craft she was so proud of and relied on for her livelihood would one day be treated so seriously.
This is not charity, it is respect.
It is to preserve the last and most important dignity for a craftsman.
Seeing that she had no response, Gu Junze, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke, "What my wife says is naturally counted."
This simple sentence, like a magic needle, completely defeated the last trace of doubt and anxiety in Grandma Sun's heart.
She cried out "Wow", this time, not because of sadness and grievance, but because of great surprise and touching.
She slid down from the chair and was about to kowtow to the two of them.
Chu Ruohan and Gu Junze stood up at the same time, supporting her on the left and right.
"Mother-in-law, what are you doing?" Chu Ruohan asked anxiously, "If you agree, you will be doing me a great favor. I should be the one thanking you."
"I promise, I promise!" Granny Sun clutched Chu Ruohan's hand and cried like a child. "For me, to have met such a good person like Madam in my life, it's really... it's really the good deeds of my ancestors!"
She is willing to pass on this craft and let it bloom with new brilliance in a broader world.
Instead of being trampled and crushed by those greedy people in Jinguan City, and finally buried in the dust.
The way to send Grandma Sun home was completely different from the way she came.
Just now it was a bustling street with heavy traffic and beautiful scenery, but after turning a corner, it was like stepping into another world.
The alley is narrow and deep, with the eaves on both sides almost touching each other, cutting off the skylight to only a thin gap.
The air was filled with a damp, musty smell mixed with an indescribable sour and rotten smell.
The bluestone road under my feet was bumpy and filled with sewage, and moss grew at the base of the wall.
The smile on Chu Ruohan's face had long since disappeared, and her brows were slightly furrowed.
This is what Grandma Sun calls the "Weaver Girl Lane", which is completely different from the dazzling and colorful place across the street.
Grandma Sun’s house is at the deepest end of the alley.
A wooden door with peeling paint was propped up from the inside with a wooden stick, and it made a harsh creaking sound when pushed open.
The room was darker than outside and the light was dim.
The walls were blackened by smoke and fireworks, cobwebs formed in the corners of the roof, and several leaking areas were collected with broken clay pots, half of which were filled with muddy rainwater.
The only furniture in the room was a table with a missing leg and two benches.
“Cough… cough cough…”
A suppressed and weak cough came from the bed in the inner room.
Chu Ruohan followed Grandma Sun.
Lying on the bed was a boy about seven or eight years old. He was so thin that he was just a bag of bones, with sallow cheeks and no blood.
Hearing the noise, he opened his eyes with difficulty and saw Grandma Sun. His cracked lips moved and he wanted to call for help, but he started coughing violently again and curled up into a ball.
"Xiaobao, grandma is back." Grandma Sun rushed over, stroking his back, tears streaming down her face.
When Chu Ruohan saw this scene, she felt as if something was blocking her heart, making her feel stuffy and painful.
From time to time, a few coughs similar to Xiaobao's could be heard in the alley, one after another...
The people living here are all weavers who have been forced into a desperate situation like Granny Sun.
They kept the ancestral skills, but could not provide enough food and clothing for their families.
Gu Junze walked forward without saying a word, bent down, and picked up the thin child along with the tattered quilt.
"Go to the clinic."
Granny Sun was stunned and looked at him, somewhat at a loss.
"My benefactor, this..."
"Let's go." Gu Junze didn't give any extra explanations. He picked up the child, turned around and walked out.
Chu Ruohan immediately followed and supported the staggering Grandma Sun.
The largest medical clinic in the city is called "Baicaotang". It has three-story flying eaves and an imposing facade. All the people who come in and out are wealthy and well-dressed.
Gu Junze was holding a child, dressed in ordinary cloth, followed by Grandma Sun in shabby clothes, which was out of place with the splendor of this place.
The guy at the door wanted to stop him, but he shrank back after receiving a look from Gu Junze.
That look was so cold, like a knife.
The doctor sitting in the clinic was an old doctor with a goatee. He was twirling his beard while examining a lady. When he saw them, his brows frowned slightly.
After he slowly and methodically sent the lady away, he raised his eyelids and asked lazily, "Do you want to see a doctor?"
"The child is very ill." Chu Ruohan said.
The old doctor's eyes fell on the child's sallow face, and then glanced at Grandma Sun. When he heard clearly that they were from Zhinu Lane, the patience on his face disappeared.
He casually felt the patient's pulse, then withdrew his hand, shaking his head and saying, "He has been ill for a long time, and his illness is incurable. Prepare for his funeral."
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